Hi, I’m Kathryn and I’m Looking Forward to Building Together…
After building a bunch of successful companies (I was one of the first Black women to sell an internet startup), writing a few books (including the Wall Street Journal bestseller Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business if You're Not a Rich White Guy), I’m now the Founder and Managing General Partner of Genius Guild, a venture firm that invests in companies using innovation to build, grow, and promote healthy people, communities, and environments in untapped markets.
As an active venture and angel investor, I’ve invested in over 50 companies ranging from mental health startups to consumer product companies to a Scottish football (aka soccer) club. Some of my investments include: Health in Her HUE, a digital platform that aims to lessen the racial disparities found in healthcare by empowering communities of color to take control of their health; Both& Apparel, which designs clothing for tranmasc and enby, masc presenting people; Backpack Healthcare, a provider of culturally intentional, sensitive, and inclusive pediatric mental health care for diverse populations; the Scottish football club Caledonian Braves FC; MentalHappy, a health platform that lets people discuss emotional health and daily challenges; and consciously clean skincare brand Hanahana Beauty, just to name a few. Most of these companies are led by women and/or nonbinary CEOs.
In April 2020, I started The Doonie Fund, named after my grandmother, Kathryn “Doonie” Hale, with a $10,000 personal donation. What began as a way to support Black women entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 crisis has grown to provide micro-investments to more than 3,000 Black women-owned businesses and counts Pivotal Ventures, Surdna Foundation, UBS, and others as partners. It has also inspired other women investors to create their own micro-investment funds.
The Doonie Fund was greatly influenced by my work at digitalundivided, a groundbreaking social enterprise I founded in 2012. My pioneering research, “#ProjectDiane”, drew widespread buzz for disrupting the dialogue around tech entrepreneurship and led to a major change in the venture capital ecosystem.
I’ve received a bunch of recognition for my work (the Heinz Award for Economy, Honorary Doctorates, Aspen Fellowship, Rutgers University Hall of Fame, and even my own day in New York City), which makes my mom very proud, and my son giggle.
Entrepreneurship is HARDT ( “t” added on purpose), and I’m so excited to share what I’ve learned on the path to business success.
Let’s BUILD THE DAMN THING TOGETHER!
